December 19, 2024 • 42 mins
Andrew and Diamond look back at the 10 most recent episodes of the At First Listen podcast and choose their favorite music, moments and guests.
After discussing the recent history of the show, we widen the scope and debate which episode was the best.
At First Listen will be back in 2025!
Subscribe in your podcast feed and follow us on Instagram @AtFirstListenpodcast so you don’t miss an episode!
(Episode 22.)
After discussing the recent history of the show, we widen the scope and debate which episode was the best.
At First Listen will be back in 2025!
Subscribe in your podcast feed and follow us on Instagram @AtFirstListenpodcast so you don’t miss an episode!
(Episode 22.)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Welcome to that first listen. I'm Andrew and I'm Diamond
and we're doing our end of year wrap up show.
Everyone's doing it, so why not us?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Why not? Why not?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Today is a good day? Diamond Wan Sodho's going to
the New York Mets. We just found that out. So
that's that's the time and date of the podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yep, we're very excited.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the good side of New York.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Exactly to New York's actual team, the real team. But
apparently he wanted to be a met anyway, like years ago,
he wanted to be a Met.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yes, so he said a bunch of things over the
years that were certainly interpreted that way. And to celebrate
we're talking about the year in our podcast. I didn't
actually think it was gonna work out this way, but
we've discussed listened to twenty albums for the podcast. That
is insane, and it has felt like so much more
(01:13):
than that. It has listening to this much music, it'll
drive you crazy. As an obligation, it's not easy. No,
when we started the podcast was just about this time
a year ago. We started talking about doing this and
one of the reasons I wanted to do it at
all was because there's people in my life who I'll
(01:33):
get together with them they'll ask me what I'm listening to,
or we're like, what's new that's good and I have
like no answer for them. Or it'll be some like
weird record that I that is decades old that I
just recently discovered and I'm kind of into, and they're like, no,
that's not really the answer I was looking for, you know,
(01:54):
Oh yeah, yeah, I I but now I have a
whole list of stuff that is new to me. Uh,
stuff that's new to you, certainly a lot that's.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
New to me.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I'm trying to look at, like what are my favorites
of the last ten?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, So we'll we'll break this into at least two segments. Here.
We'll talk about the last ten episodes because after the
first ten we did kind of a recap show. So
let's give the most recent ten episodes there, Doe, and
then we'll talk about our thoughts for the whole year
in the at first listen podcast experience. So let's just
(02:40):
talk about what is a standout of the last ten
And as I say that, I look at this list
and I didn't Mark, which.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Started ten started from Metallica, The Black Album, I think, oh,
or maybe The Miseducation of Lauren Hill.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well, we definitely talked about Lauren Hill on our Recapka, yeah,
that's probably.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
The Black Album. I'll say this once, I'll say it again,
I'll probably say it forever. Interest sand Man is the
greatest intro of all time, and so actually maybe I'll
listen to that in the gym today. I haven't in
a while, but yeah, I mean just that'll probably be
(03:20):
in rotation forever. I went to a Virginia Tech game
a few weeks ago now, and.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Just the vibe. Did I send you the video? No,
I didn't.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I have to show it to you. You know, Virginia Tech,
their football team runs onto the field to this song,
and everyone in the stands, the fans, the students, everyone
were jumping up and down. It's kind of like choreographed. Honestly,
it's the coolest thing on the planet.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And I just felt like, I know this song.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah I'm stuck to something, but yeah, definitely in a salmon,
and probably only in a salmon.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Okay, So, but that's still one of two quote unquote
perfect songs that we've talked about on the podcast, the
other being seven Nation Army.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Right, mm, I don't.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I don't think that you could go to a sporting
event without hearing that song. If I did go and
I didn't hear that song, I would feel like something
was missing, Like come on, come on, even in soccer,
come on, everybody's they're singing the song or like making
the sounds. We're having fun. I love that song.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah. So the Black Album was obviously one of my
suggestions a record I was familiar with. Sabbatrue is one
of my favorite tracks from that record, and then I
think Wherever My Wherever I May Roam was another that
sort of stood out for me upon further examination. And
then after that was m I A's Ma TANGI.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
No thank you, I haven't been back.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, I I would. This is a bit of separating
the art from the artist. I was so so into
this record, really, I really spun it a lot after
our guest April K suggested it for us. I think
the song Exodus from it is a beautiful song. But
(05:22):
am I A said some things and launched her clothing line,
and it's just she's she's going through some some issues.
I think am I A got cut off very abruptly.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, I honestly don't remember the songs that I liked
from the album, but I just no, no, no, she's not.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
She's not what she used to be. Put it like that.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
So after that was your your suggestion. Pink Friday by
Nicki Minaj.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Shout out to Niki. Her birthday was a few days ago.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Birthday, Nikki.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I in my head right now, just from reading the
title Pink Friday, I can hear I'm the best, But
I know that's not my favorite song on the album.
Probably Roman's Revenge will probably always stand out to me,
just because it's so like, the theatrics are really really cool,
even though you didn't like.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
The lyrics or the eminem feature.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yes, what I'm trying to think of, Like, I can't
remember what I said my favorite song on the album
was at that point, but it'll be a rotation, like
I don't I don't see myself taking it completely out,
but it's definitely not in the rotation that it once was.
What fifteen years ago now ten? Ten?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, almost fifteen years? Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Did going back to that album sort of make you
rethink how you feel about it like in going forward
in your life.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, I think, yeah, I've definitely matured. The song came
out when I was like what fourteen fifteen, so it
definitely I don't relate to it the way that I
thought that I did, because I don't even think I
really related to it when it came out. But it's
just not it is dear old Nikky on this. I
(07:31):
like that, So maybe that is one that I can
kind of relate to, just because like she's like this
person who was like loud and boisterous and whatever is
not here anymore and I kind of missed that old, like,
uh version of myself and I can relate to that.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
But a lot of things, a lot of other things here.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, yeah, she's kind of in the Mia bucket. Uh Yeah.
So I even't on back to that one, but I
would listen to did It on Him Again? And you know,
that was one of a couple records in this last
ten that I just wanted to I thought I was
going to get a bit more from or there was
like there was things about how the album sounded overall
(08:15):
that I just didn't really make it for me. So
then I finally decided, let's stop talking about the blues
and be about the blues, And we listened to BB
King's Live at the Regal album, which was the oldest
record that we've covered on the show, from nineteen sixty four.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Before my parents were born.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
That's insane, I you upset me Baby is one of
the ones that I really liked.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
I didn't write anything else down, but I know that
there was another.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Little Angel was a good one from this record.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Oh and It's My Own Fault. That was my favorite.
Wasn't that the one where he was like, uh, he's something.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
There's like a vamp in the middle where he talks
about if you're if you're a woman's or something.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Yeah, where he goes a little too far, but you
know what product nineteen sixty.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Four and again he was advising people not to punch women.
That was where he was coming from. He said it
in kind of a strange way, but he was on
the right side of that issue sixty four.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
How were people getting away with cheating back then? Like
you just were like, okay, fine, like you know what,
we're together, I'll hit you and keep it pushing.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
What the hell like? People didn't get divorced back then,
just do whatever? You want it is insane, like just leave.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
And me wonder why boomers are fucked up, like these
are the households that they grew up in.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Yeah yeah, yeah, that's scary, or why they look at
younger people as if we're the ones that are insane
and it's like okay, yeah, sure, okay, yeah whatever. The
(10:17):
Black Keys with Brothers.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah. Suggestion from my friend Maria.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Marino, who was amazing, by the way, great.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Guest, great friend. I should, uh, I should look at
the track list on this aum because there were tracks
that I liked this. I think if I'm looking at
every record we've done, I probably had the lowest expectations
for this album.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Really, Oh yeah, you you regretted it instantly. I remember
that I liked Talent for You. Remember I said that
that was like.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
How then for you and tighten Up? The two hits
from this record, they're both good.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Songs, and I felt like Hollan for You was definitely
in a commercial still feel that way.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
There was There's this great website called The Hard Times,
which is basically The Onion but for people who were
into like punk rock and metal and stuff. So they
do a lot of like spoof headlines like the onionon do,
but they're related to music generally, and they they shared
(11:25):
one recently that I saw on Instagram. It was like
the Black Keys cut to the chase and titled new
song Ford Commercial. It would have been so as I recall,
Maria said Next Girl was one of her favorite tracks. Yes,
I liked Black Mud, which I think was an instrumental
(11:46):
tens and pistol was good. This is one of those
records that fell off after like track eleven. Yes, but yeah,
a good record and definitely exceeded my very low expectations,
not very low.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
The Beatles Abbey Road, I okay, I feel like saying
that Here Comes the Sun was my favorite song. The
off of the album was like, it's like cheating, you know,
it's like, okay, whatever, we get it, Diamond. So I
didn't write that one down, but I wrote Come Together,
which probably is cheating too, but it.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Might be the bigger hit.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
But is it really I think that's.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
A big Yeah, I think it is.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Oh shit, okay, well come Together is it's the jam.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
But it's also it's honestly Diamond. It's the Beatles, basically
all four hundred or whatever songs that they released in
their career are hits in some context. Okay, there's like
demos that are quote unquote hits, like music they never
even released. It's it's crazy with the Beatles. I think
(12:56):
something is probably my favorite song from this record. Here
comes the Son. I like that you like it so
much because you know, the Beatles were a band that
I got into when I was a young teenager, and
I think I kind of took that song for granted
a little bit, So your enthusiasm about it definitely got
(13:17):
me to listen a bit more closely.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Just like it's a feel good song there. Can you
imagine if a movie is on and you hear that song,
Like say, you're not paying attention to a show or
movie or even a commercial, but you hear the song,
you know that there's some type of like joy that's
coming after some type of sadness.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
So it always makes me feel good. I'm like, oh yeah,
oh God. Pearl Jam Pearl.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Jam Versus from nineteen ninety three with our guests Brooklyn
Nets radio play by play announcer Chris Carino.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Who you gave him a hard time, but the Nets
are not doing that bad.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I did well. I also said that I thought that
they would be competitive until twenty twenty five. Okay, they
are much more competitive than I thought they would be,
either like ten and thirteen or something ten and fourteen,
which is actually bad news because they need to be
much worse than that if they're going to get the
high draft pick.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, this was a fun record. I still haven't been
to a Nets game. I've sold my tickets every time
I've had a game coming up.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yeah, it's been like the worst scheduling possible. But in
a couple weeks I'll be there and I'll say hi
to Chris in person.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yeah, I will probably play go in the gym today too.
And that was Remember I was kind of like thrown
off by that half meat type of thing.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Not really a fan of that.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
But Chris Christ did a great job of sort of contextualizing, Yeah,
where Pearl Jam was at that time, where basically their
first record was such a gigantic hit, such a paradigm
shift for the music industry, where all the sudden, Pearl
Jam were the biggest band in the world, and there
was another band from their town called Nirvana that was
(15:13):
also the biggest band in the world, and the press
was kind of trying to position them as competitors, and
they sort of felt like, this is not really what
we ever wanted. So they do. They make this album
that is not designed to be a commercial success, They
(15:33):
don't make any music videos for it, and they start
the record with a false start to almost dare people
to keep visiting.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Killed me. I was like, what is this?
Speaker 1 (15:46):
This was two episodes in Well the Abbey Road one
was two parter but two guests in a row where
we really just let the guests take the wheel.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Now to one of my favorites, Rihanna, Good Girl, Gone Bad,
I am smiling, but it's more of a like devilish
smile because the song that I love off of this
album is the one that you hate.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Oh yeah, Selly Candy. Ten out of ten. For me,
it's just a vibe, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah. My issue with that one, if I remember, was
that the kick drum sound that they used sounds just
like a fart sound.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Oh god, not a fart. Come on now, Andrew, But
I think you could be nicer than that.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I like the songs on this record. I don't think
the production holds up, but yeah, there's a lot of
good stuff push up on me. Don't stop the music,
you know, all the hits are good, and then then
that one, and then there's that one.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Which I love. Okay, Oh god, last banal Ly's Mariah Carrey.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
So I stepped into the studio and had All I
Want for Christmas is You in my head before you
brought the print out with that on it, and I
was like, why is this happening to me? Oh god?
So is it because I saw a Christmas tree?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
I know, maybe I got way too excited last week
and I get it right, Like, Christmas without this song
is non existent. But the amount of times that I've
heard it since we recorded that episode is driving me crazy. So, Mariah,
(17:39):
I love you, and that is my favorite song off
of the album. I'll be playing it for years to come.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
But I need a.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Break, okay, and you're not going to get one exactly.
Cannot come fast enough. I can't, I can't, I can't.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
All right, So those are some quick thoughts on the
last ten episodes of the podcast, and we're going to
take a break and come back and get have some
overall thoughts on the year twenty twenty four. For AFFIRS Listen,
We'll be right back. Welcome back to AFIRS Listen.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I'm Andrew and I'm Diamond, and.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We're talking about our favorite moments, our favorite guests, favorite
albums from a Year in the Affres System Podcast Year
twenty twenty four. So let's open it up to the
first ten episodes and talk about what from this catalog
(18:42):
of records have we gone back to.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Oh, I have to put it out there. Superstar by
Usher is always in rotation, but I heard I Want
Your Love Chic Yes by Chic a few weeks ago randomly,
like I think somebody had borrowed my car and they
(19:05):
had like an older station Plan and I got in
the car and it was on and I was like,
oh my god.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
That made me feel really good.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Beyonce Bodyguard is from her Cowboy Carter album is nominated
for a Grammy. So it sent me back to the
album and it made me think about it and, you know,
really assess what I liked and don't really like anymore.
Months later, I think we're over. Yeah, we're definitely over.
Six months removed from the release of the album. And
(19:41):
I hate to say this, but I think she actually
might win Album of the Year with Grannie this year, and.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
It sucks because this is her like, yeah, it's and
it's just not.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
It's not what Renaissance was, and like it's not and
I feel like it'll be our life and her luck
that she actually wins this year and it's like, Okay,
we're happy for you that you finally got this.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
But I don't think this is the album for it.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
I feel like it would be like a you know whatever,
you know, an album that if I was thinking we
would have done earlier. Because the Grammys are coming up.
Sabrina Carpenter shortened Sweet that is a really good pop
album and I would not be surprised if she's like
(20:30):
a top contender for Album of the Year because.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
That album is really good.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Really good. Hate to throw us off back to the list. Yes,
I'm trying to think, I already said earlier. Seven Nation
Armies still in rotation. I we don't talk enough or
as a society about Stevie wonder Uh Songsmiky of Life like.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
So shout out to one of the listeners who's messages
the other day, Carrie oh who who's all over the
effort listen and the I think the Elvis Duran Instagram
is a great listener. He pointed out to us a
little while ago. There's a Stevie Wonder podcast called The
(21:14):
Wonder of Stevie that was recently launched. The host is
a New York Times I think art and culture writer.
I listened to the first episode on the Plane on
a Plane a couple of weeks ago. Really really interesting,
basically tracing his whole career, you know, from when he
was a literal child, as we covered on that episode
ye to today. So shout out to Carrie for the
(21:38):
great recommendation. I will also recommend it, and sort of
the thesis of the podcast is kind of what you
just said, Like, we don't talk enough about what an
impact Stevie Wonder has made. I think we alluded to
it a little bit on that show where we talked
about how many samples from songs in the Key of
(22:02):
Life have been used to create like the biggest hip
hop songs and pop songs.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Since Yeah, what's the Gangster's Paradise Pastime?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I can hear it?
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Was it Wild Wild West? Yes?
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Yes, so definitely. I mean I can't skip over Prince
per Borrian. I mean I know that I didn't really
get the album, but there are some gems on there
that I just would look crazy if I didn't mention keep.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
I keep meaning to go back to Prince and listen
to some of his other records. I don't think Purple
Rain will be the one I go back to.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
I'm sorry I shouldn't have laughed so hard. I'll tell
you one album that I'm not going back to.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah at all. I actually heard this album reference the
other day, which one Rocket to Russian. Yeah. I was
listening to the Fly on the Wall podcast, which is
David Spade and Dana Carvey and their guest was Patton Oswalt,
and Patton Oswalt compared a film to Rocket to Russia,
(23:13):
and I was like, oh, I wouldn't otherwise know what
he was talking about if we didn't cover it with
another great guest, Alison Camarada.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
She was amazing. I don't ever want to see that
album again. Ever. Another album that I never want to
see again, Norman fucking Rockwell.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Yeah, we are, We're pretty aligned on this. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Yeah, Lana please, girl.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Please another problematic lady, absolutely absolutely growing more problematic right
before our eyes.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Yeah, So girl, Wishing you the best but stay over there,
h Is there anything that I'm missing?
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Horrible guest?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
And yes he was the worst, the worst.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Guest, I mean on the scale of besta horrible, Andrew
was all the way at the bottom.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
What a losers?
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Am I missing anything? Is there anything that you are
really listening to? Let's say six months later from the
first half of the albums that we come up.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
So this is the time of year when the streaming
services do their little recaps of what you're listening to,
and so my top five albums were like it was
like four metal records and then say Chic and I was,
according to one service, the number one listener in the
(24:37):
world for what for the song happy Man, it was like,
You're the point zero one percent, And I'm like, I
know what that means because also all the other songs
on that if you look at the total streams are
like in the trillions, the billions or trillions, and that
song has like a million, like no one has ever
heard it. On this gigantic hit of an album.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
You literally paid Nala Rogers for the year. Probably that
is hilarious.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
And we we we stopped down and talked about it
a little bit with him on that episode, and I
guess even chic fans are not like familiar with that song.
And she has so many hits, I guess I can't
blame them, but I think it is a total hidden gem.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
I mean, it's a really good song, but I don't
know if I would be in the top one.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Awers a little alarming. I gotta say.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
I got to think, if there's any do you have
a favorite out of all these?
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Yeah, so let's let's open it up to the all
the episodes that we've done, not just focusing on the
first ten. And I I think for me to say
a favorite, it would have to be something that I
didn't suggest.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Okay, Oh, that's good.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
So it's a favorite, excluding anything that I would have brought. Yeah,
And I'm thinking that's probably it could easily have been
good Girl Gone Bad.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Okay, but I just can't get past the sound of
that record. You technically suggested songs in the Key of Life,
but I think I was too familiar with that record
already for me to pick that one. It's probably the
mis education of Lauren Hill.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Oh, such a good album, such a.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Good or maybe it's versus and I think the best
album is actually mis education of Lauren. I think, so
separating my favorite one from what is like in an
objective sense, if that's even possible in this type of ranking,
it probably is a mis education of Laurren Hill.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
I'm trying to figure out what, Okay, so I think
the best.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Album with special guest Alex Goldenthal, my friend and guitar player.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Hey, I think the best is a toss up for
me between Songs in the Key of Life and the
mis educational Blurn Hill.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Yeah, it's just it's complicated with Songs in the Key
of Life because it's basically three albums worth of music.
It's a lot, so it's it's hard to compare it
to anything.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
I'm trying to think of what my favorite out of
the ones that I didn't choose, I say, sashik nice. Yeah.
A lot of songs on there that are just good vibes,
not necessarily ones that I go back to all the time,
but if I'm sitting down somewhere and they're playing the album,
(27:54):
I'd be happy.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
And the thing that I appreciated so much about that
album after doing more of a dive into it and
listening listening to it, not as like a quote unquote
disco record or a quote unquote pop record, and really
like giving each song they're due is how conceptually deep
it is. When you really listen to it, it's it
(28:19):
doesn't come off like they're just trying to make a living.
It comes off as there's like little subtle things that
they do with the music and the lyrics that it's like,
this is a band that has a point of view. Yeah,
you know, this is a this is a real band.
This is not like a studio concoction.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
They care, yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
And then speaking to Nile Rogers about it, he confirmed
a lot of that stuff with Yeah, he was really nice.
He's not problematic at all. No, honestly, congratulations to Nile Rogers.
He's in his seventies and he's still on the right
side of history.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah. Thank god. We need our icons to stay our
icons because people are scaring me.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
People drop life was.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
What about a favorite song of yours?
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I'm thinking Honky Cat. Oh okay, okay, go right back
to that. I wish by Stevie Wonder is another big one.
Miseducation of Larren Hill is an album that I haven't
gone back to for a while, and I have kind
of been meaning to go back to because I want
(29:33):
to kind of figure out what my what my favorite
really is from that record. I was kind of so
overwhelmed by how much good material is on there when
we did the episode that I do think that one
is ripe for me to go back to it. Here
comes to the son pretty good song.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Oh okay. I have to be honest. When Dove's cry,
oh okay, that's it.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
I was I was about to say some other songs,
and I'm like, no, Like in a Sandman, I like it.
It's the best intro, But do I really care about
the rest of the song already? I think I said
this in the episode, like once it gets to a
certain point, I'm like, I'm over it. Let's start the
song over it, because I'm the momentum is we've reached
the mat.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Speaking of Purple Rain, I heard I Would Die for
You out there in My World, and I was like,
this song still annoys me with the hot, the drum machine,
high hat sound that just does not stop. You can't
take it for the entire sound. However, Baby I'm a
Star is still a hit.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
I don't like that one. Come on now, Okay, I
hate to say this. I'll go I'll come back to
this in a few months probably and be happy about it.
Right now, I cannot believe that I'm about to say
this out loud, but all I went for Christmas is
You is as well. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
I have to be honest. I may be sick of
it right now, but in the grand scheme of things,
(31:00):
that's probably that is the greatest Christmas song of all time. Okay,
so we're sick of it because we're in the Christmas season,
But once January comes, you know, I'm trying to think
if there's anything else that I mean, Superstar bar Usher
is just nostalgic and just like a vibe. I think
(31:21):
that Bodyguard by Beyonce is underrated. I think that that
was such a good song, so it could have been
a hit. I don't understand why it wasn't pushed.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Also, I would say caught Up by Usher, Oh yes,
great one.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
Whoa, whoa, I'm the kind of brother Oh yeah yeah yeah, Andrew,
come on, I think I mean good Girl gone bad. Yes,
Like the entire album Hate That I Love You is
such a good song, like, but nothing compares to.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Cry you know wow, that was Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Do you even realize what you just did? Nothing compares
to Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
No, I really don't think so.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
No, I'm talking about the song nothing Compares to You,
which Prince wrote.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Not up completely went over my head Oopsie's Yeah, I
feel like I'm gonna miss something.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
I mean, as is really good by Stevie Wonder, but
I don't think it's my favorite.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I'm trying to think of Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
I think yeah, songs in the Key of Life I
want to listen to, just like the final third of
the album. I think I might do that on my
way home, maybe because again, it's just so long, it's
so much, and it's hard to be in the same place,
in the same state of mind for like an hour
and a half of just listening to music. Yeah, so
(32:53):
it's like you almost have to break it up, like
when the record stops playing, don't don't just slip it
over right away, give it a do something else, come
back to it.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Maybe play something else, like play another album as a
way to clean or clear the palette and keep a pushing.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Yeah, I think that I think that those are mine.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
So people might be listening to the recap episode trying
to get a sense of what our show is all about.
Let's take another break and then come back and we'll
talk about our favorite episodes, maybe our favorite guests we
might want to have on the show again in the future.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
We'll do that next time at First Listen. Welcome back
to that first Listen. I'm Andrew and I'm Diamond, and
we are wrapping up the year twenty twenty four for
(33:57):
the podcast. What do we think was our best episode?
If we're gonna work, if we're going to recommend one
episode for someone to listen to, like, this is what
the show is about. This is when we did the
best job.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Oh, the best job? I'm not sure because I think
that's subjective. But for a few of these, I think
the best episode is probably a two parter with Ken Dashaw.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
I think that you learn a lot, you know, and
I think.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
That that's the purpose of having guests on When they
choose an album, they can not only tell us and
educate us on the album, but the artists or band
group that they suggest, and he came with a lot
of information.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Ken is as close to an expert on the Beatles
as you will find out there in the world. I
would say the Nile Rogers episode is a great starting point,
but we were also very nervous. For Yes, we were
trying to use new a new studio, we were trying
(35:12):
to use new equipment, much of which failed. Niall was amazing.
He was really generous with his time and with the
stories he told. Overall, it's probably not our best episode. Hmm. Yeah,
it's probably between well I made it. This is a
(35:33):
good sign. It's probably between the Abbey Road with Ken
dash Out and Pearl Jam versus with Chris Carino, because
both of them came really prepared just from I guess
living their lives and being the super fans of those
respective bands that they are. And Chris Karina was able
to tie Pearl Jam back to the nets.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Which was insane. I'm like, huh, how do we get
back here?
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Okay, Chris knew a lot. Explain to me, uh what
that whole stutterstep beat whatever it was was, And I
appreciate him for that.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
I'm trying to think.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
I I gotta give honorable mention to the worst guests
that we had on Andrew, not you, Andrew. I can
never pronounce his name, I just say Andrew Pugs, so
we'll keep it there.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
But he know he was such a bad guest, we
don't need to pronounce his name, even though it's pronounced.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Pl Yeah, he he.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Ruined the show.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
He tried to really convince him.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
He knew that we were both gonna hate it. He
thought I would like it, and boy was he wrong.
I hated it as much as you did.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
The worst thing I've ever heard in all life.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
That said he might be back for another episode because
we had a good time.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (37:02):
But yeah, April k was great.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
April was great. The album her you know, yeah, what
she was doing with that Fender campaign was super cool.
Maria Marino love kind of reconnecting with her. As as
we mentioned, she's an old basically a childhood friend of mine,
like we she no, I sat behind her and homeroom
(37:30):
uh for all four years of high school. Oh, I
didn't tell this story. We actually met for the first
time on the soccer pitch in middle school. She is
from Hamburg. I'm from a town called Ogdensburg in New Jersey,
and uh, they're both really small towns. So our soccer
(37:50):
teams was this direct. No, this was our middle school school.
Soccer teams were co ed, so it was certain amount
of boys on the field, a certain amount of girls.
And so this was a game in Hamburg. So on
their field in front of like all of their parents,
and I'm running towards the ball. Maria's on the other side,
(38:17):
and we do that thing where if you play soccer
and two people kick the ball at the same time,
it hurts always. It's completely legal play. It just happens.
So that happened with us, and Maria kind of went
tumbling over and she probably does not remember this, but
(38:39):
I remember it vividly because I was like the kind
of kid on the basketball team who would like not
commit fouls because I didn't want people to think I
was a dirty player. So then this happens on the
soccer field in front of all the Hamburg parents, and
people were mad at me. They thought that I just
like kicked her shit out from under her.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Oh no, Andrew.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
And it got a little bit heated.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
Did you help her up?
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Well, it was the play was still gone. Oh I'm
a sportsman, but I'm trying to win the game.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
I think I had two goals by the way you
kicked the.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Girl down and kept it pushing. No wonder if you
wore upset.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
But we patched things up in high school.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Okay. Cool. I'm trying to think who else Andrew?
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Yeah, I mean it is it runs the gamut. I mean.
Alex Goldenthal had a personal experience with Lauren Hill from
teaching her guitar for about a year. Nile Rogers helped
make the album that he came to talk about. Alison
Camarada has a whole book, a memoir surrounding you know,
(39:50):
her experience with punk rock in New Jersey and New York.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
That was a great book, by the way.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Yeah, if you're looking for a great book for Christmas,
Combat Love really good Allison Camarata, I would say best
guess Maria Melito. Oh Marie. We had such a good
time with her again. She was one of the first
guests on the show. Yep, she got you to She
(40:15):
picked a good album for you. You liked led Zeppelin too,
I did, but.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I can't think of the songs that I like at
the moment, so I didn't mention it.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Well, a lot of them are really jammy, you know.
That's that's more of a more of a vibe album,
so I can't blame you for that. There's Heartbreakers on it.
I think black Dog is on it, you know. Let
me just look up the tracks so I don't sound
like a total idiot. I think I covered this on
(40:45):
that episode though, because sort of like with the Beatles,
I got into led Zeppelin kind of as a catalog,
not a specific album. So I don't really know what
songs are on what album? Oh the Lemon song? You
love that one? One?
Speaker 3 (41:00):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (41:00):
I did?
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Which one did I hate? Did I say which one
I hated? It was someone at the bottom or something?
Was it slow or something?
Speaker 1 (41:07):
I don't know. Well, Moby Dick had the big drums.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Oh I hated that.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
I hated Love had the psychedelic section, which I think
you liked.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
I liked that one I did?
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Yeah, Oh, ramble on you didn't like?
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Are you sure I think I liked it? Oh?
Speaker 1 (41:20):
Okay, I hope you liked it.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
It's a blur, right, but so hey, if you're gonna
pick one, pick the Mariam Alito episode. She's a great personality.
She's very funny. I was very nervous about that episode
because I didn't think we picked the right album.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Oh no, I liked it.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
I liked it more than I did.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
I remember you guys being very shocked.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Okay, So I think that's that's a year in our
at First Listen Lives. We'll be back next year in
some form or fashion. I think we thank everyone for
listening and supporting the show. It's been a lot of fun.
It's been a lot of worker, but it's been a
lot of fun, and be appreciate it. See ya have
a good twenty twenty five. Everybody
Welcome to that first listen. I'm Andrew and I'm Diamond
and we're doing our end of year wrap up show.
Everyone's doing it, so why not us?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Why not? Why not?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Today is a good day? Diamond Wan Sodho's going to
the New York Mets. We just found that out. So
that's that's the time and date of the podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yep, we're very excited.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to the good side of New York.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Exactly to New York's actual team, the real team. But
apparently he wanted to be a met anyway, like years ago,
he wanted to be a Met.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yes, so he said a bunch of things over the
years that were certainly interpreted that way. And to celebrate
we're talking about the year in our podcast. I didn't
actually think it was gonna work out this way, but
we've discussed listened to twenty albums for the podcast. That
is insane, and it has felt like so much more
(01:13):
than that. It has listening to this much music, it'll
drive you crazy. As an obligation, it's not easy. No,
when we started the podcast was just about this time
a year ago. We started talking about doing this and
one of the reasons I wanted to do it at
all was because there's people in my life who I'll
(01:33):
get together with them they'll ask me what I'm listening to,
or we're like, what's new that's good and I have
like no answer for them. Or it'll be some like
weird record that I that is decades old that I
just recently discovered and I'm kind of into, and they're like, no,
that's not really the answer I was looking for, you know,
(01:54):
Oh yeah, yeah, I I but now I have a
whole list of stuff that is new to me. Uh,
stuff that's new to you, certainly a lot that's.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
New to me.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I'm trying to look at, like what are my favorites
of the last ten?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, So we'll we'll break this into at least two segments. Here.
We'll talk about the last ten episodes because after the
first ten we did kind of a recap show. So
let's give the most recent ten episodes there, Doe, and
then we'll talk about our thoughts for the whole year
in the at first listen podcast experience. So let's just
(02:40):
talk about what is a standout of the last ten
And as I say that, I look at this list
and I didn't Mark, which.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Started ten started from Metallica, The Black Album, I think, oh,
or maybe The Miseducation of Lauren Hill.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well, we definitely talked about Lauren Hill on our Recapka, yeah,
that's probably.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
The Black Album. I'll say this once, I'll say it again,
I'll probably say it forever. Interest sand Man is the
greatest intro of all time, and so actually maybe I'll
listen to that in the gym today. I haven't in
a while, but yeah, I mean just that'll probably be
(03:20):
in rotation forever. I went to a Virginia Tech game
a few weeks ago now, and.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Just the vibe. Did I send you the video? No,
I didn't.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I have to show it to you. You know, Virginia Tech,
their football team runs onto the field to this song,
and everyone in the stands, the fans, the students, everyone
were jumping up and down. It's kind of like choreographed. Honestly,
it's the coolest thing on the planet.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And I just felt like, I know this song.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah I'm stuck to something, but yeah, definitely in a salmon,
and probably only in a salmon.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Okay, So, but that's still one of two quote unquote
perfect songs that we've talked about on the podcast, the
other being seven Nation Army.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Right, mm, I don't.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I don't think that you could go to a sporting
event without hearing that song. If I did go and
I didn't hear that song, I would feel like something
was missing, Like come on, come on, even in soccer,
come on, everybody's they're singing the song or like making
the sounds. We're having fun. I love that song.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah. So the Black Album was obviously one of my
suggestions a record I was familiar with. Sabbatrue is one
of my favorite tracks from that record, and then I
think Wherever My Wherever I May Roam was another that
sort of stood out for me upon further examination. And
then after that was m I A's Ma TANGI.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
No thank you, I haven't been back.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, I I would. This is a bit of separating
the art from the artist. I was so so into
this record, really, I really spun it a lot after
our guest April K suggested it for us. I think
the song Exodus from it is a beautiful song. But
(05:22):
am I A said some things and launched her clothing line,
and it's just she's she's going through some some issues.
I think am I A got cut off very abruptly.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, I honestly don't remember the songs that I liked
from the album, but I just no, no, no, she's not.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
She's not what she used to be. Put it like that.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
So after that was your your suggestion. Pink Friday by
Nicki Minaj.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Shout out to Niki. Her birthday was a few days ago.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Birthday, Nikki.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I in my head right now, just from reading the
title Pink Friday, I can hear I'm the best, But
I know that's not my favorite song on the album.
Probably Roman's Revenge will probably always stand out to me,
just because it's so like, the theatrics are really really cool,
even though you didn't like.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
The lyrics or the eminem feature.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yes, what I'm trying to think of, Like, I can't
remember what I said my favorite song on the album
was at that point, but it'll be a rotation, like
I don't I don't see myself taking it completely out,
but it's definitely not in the rotation that it once was.
What fifteen years ago now ten? Ten?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, almost fifteen years? Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Did going back to that album sort of make you
rethink how you feel about it like in going forward
in your life.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, I think, yeah, I've definitely matured. The song came
out when I was like what fourteen fifteen, so it
definitely I don't relate to it the way that I
thought that I did, because I don't even think I
really related to it when it came out. But it's
just not it is dear old Nikky on this. I
(07:31):
like that, So maybe that is one that I can
kind of relate to, just because like she's like this
person who was like loud and boisterous and whatever is
not here anymore and I kind of missed that old, like,
uh version of myself and I can relate to that.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
But a lot of things, a lot of other things here.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, yeah, she's kind of in the Mia bucket. Uh Yeah.
So I even't on back to that one, but I
would listen to did It on Him Again? And you know,
that was one of a couple records in this last
ten that I just wanted to I thought I was
going to get a bit more from or there was
like there was things about how the album sounded overall
(08:15):
that I just didn't really make it for me. So
then I finally decided, let's stop talking about the blues
and be about the blues, And we listened to BB
King's Live at the Regal album, which was the oldest
record that we've covered on the show, from nineteen sixty four.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Before my parents were born.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
That's insane, I you upset me Baby is one of
the ones that I really liked.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
I didn't write anything else down, but I know that
there was another.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Little Angel was a good one from this record.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Oh and It's My Own Fault. That was my favorite.
Wasn't that the one where he was like, uh, he's something.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
There's like a vamp in the middle where he talks
about if you're if you're a woman's or something.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Yeah, where he goes a little too far, but you
know what product nineteen sixty.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Four and again he was advising people not to punch women.
That was where he was coming from. He said it
in kind of a strange way, but he was on
the right side of that issue sixty four.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
How were people getting away with cheating back then? Like
you just were like, okay, fine, like you know what,
we're together, I'll hit you and keep it pushing.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
What the hell like? People didn't get divorced back then,
just do whatever? You want it is insane, like just leave.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
And me wonder why boomers are fucked up, like these
are the households that they grew up in.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Yeah yeah, yeah, that's scary, or why they look at
younger people as if we're the ones that are insane
and it's like okay, yeah, sure, okay, yeah whatever. The
(10:17):
Black Keys with Brothers.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah. Suggestion from my friend Maria.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Marino, who was amazing, by the way, great.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Guest, great friend. I should, uh, I should look at
the track list on this aum because there were tracks
that I liked this. I think if I'm looking at
every record we've done, I probably had the lowest expectations
for this album.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Really, Oh yeah, you you regretted it instantly. I remember
that I liked Talent for You. Remember I said that
that was like.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
How then for you and tighten Up? The two hits
from this record, they're both good.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Songs, and I felt like Hollan for You was definitely
in a commercial still feel that way.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
There was There's this great website called The Hard Times,
which is basically The Onion but for people who were
into like punk rock and metal and stuff. So they
do a lot of like spoof headlines like the onionon do,
but they're related to music generally, and they they shared
(11:25):
one recently that I saw on Instagram. It was like
the Black Keys cut to the chase and titled new
song Ford Commercial. It would have been so as I recall,
Maria said Next Girl was one of her favorite tracks. Yes,
I liked Black Mud, which I think was an instrumental
(11:46):
tens and pistol was good. This is one of those
records that fell off after like track eleven. Yes, but yeah,
a good record and definitely exceeded my very low expectations,
not very low.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
The Beatles Abbey Road, I okay, I feel like saying
that Here Comes the Sun was my favorite song. The
off of the album was like, it's like cheating, you know,
it's like, okay, whatever, we get it, Diamond. So I
didn't write that one down, but I wrote Come Together,
which probably is cheating too, but it.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Might be the bigger hit.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
But is it really I think that's.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
A big Yeah, I think it is.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Oh shit, okay, well come Together is it's the jam.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
But it's also it's honestly Diamond. It's the Beatles, basically
all four hundred or whatever songs that they released in
their career are hits in some context. Okay, there's like
demos that are quote unquote hits, like music they never
even released. It's it's crazy with the Beatles. I think
(12:56):
something is probably my favorite song from this record. Here
comes the Son. I like that you like it so
much because you know, the Beatles were a band that
I got into when I was a young teenager, and
I think I kind of took that song for granted
a little bit, So your enthusiasm about it definitely got
(13:17):
me to listen a bit more closely.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Just like it's a feel good song there. Can you
imagine if a movie is on and you hear that song,
Like say, you're not paying attention to a show or
movie or even a commercial, but you hear the song,
you know that there's some type of like joy that's
coming after some type of sadness.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
So it always makes me feel good. I'm like, oh yeah,
oh God. Pearl Jam Pearl.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Jam Versus from nineteen ninety three with our guests Brooklyn
Nets radio play by play announcer Chris Carino.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Who you gave him a hard time, but the Nets
are not doing that bad.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I did well. I also said that I thought that
they would be competitive until twenty twenty five. Okay, they
are much more competitive than I thought they would be,
either like ten and thirteen or something ten and fourteen,
which is actually bad news because they need to be
much worse than that if they're going to get the
high draft pick.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, this was a fun record. I still haven't been
to a Nets game. I've sold my tickets every time
I've had a game coming up.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yeah, it's been like the worst scheduling possible. But in
a couple weeks I'll be there and I'll say hi
to Chris in person.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yeah, I will probably play go in the gym today too.
And that was Remember I was kind of like thrown
off by that half meat type of thing.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Not really a fan of that.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
But Chris Christ did a great job of sort of contextualizing, Yeah,
where Pearl Jam was at that time, where basically their
first record was such a gigantic hit, such a paradigm
shift for the music industry, where all the sudden, Pearl
Jam were the biggest band in the world, and there
was another band from their town called Nirvana that was
(15:13):
also the biggest band in the world, and the press
was kind of trying to position them as competitors, and
they sort of felt like, this is not really what
we ever wanted. So they do. They make this album
that is not designed to be a commercial success, They
(15:33):
don't make any music videos for it, and they start
the record with a false start to almost dare people
to keep visiting.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Killed me. I was like, what is this?
Speaker 1 (15:46):
This was two episodes in Well the Abbey Road one
was two parter but two guests in a row where
we really just let the guests take the wheel.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Now to one of my favorites, Rihanna, Good Girl, Gone Bad,
I am smiling, but it's more of a like devilish
smile because the song that I love off of this
album is the one that you hate.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Oh yeah, Selly Candy. Ten out of ten. For me,
it's just a vibe, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah. My issue with that one, if I remember, was
that the kick drum sound that they used sounds just
like a fart sound.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Oh god, not a fart. Come on now, Andrew, But
I think you could be nicer than that.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I like the songs on this record. I don't think
the production holds up, but yeah, there's a lot of
good stuff push up on me. Don't stop the music,
you know, all the hits are good, and then then
that one, and then there's that one.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Which I love. Okay, Oh god, last banal Ly's Mariah Carrey.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
So I stepped into the studio and had All I
Want for Christmas is You in my head before you
brought the print out with that on it, and I
was like, why is this happening to me? Oh god?
So is it because I saw a Christmas tree?
Speaker 3 (17:19):
I know, maybe I got way too excited last week
and I get it right, Like, Christmas without this song
is non existent. But the amount of times that I've
heard it since we recorded that episode is driving me crazy. So, Mariah,
(17:39):
I love you, and that is my favorite song off
of the album. I'll be playing it for years to come.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
But I need a.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Break, okay, and you're not going to get one exactly.
Cannot come fast enough. I can't, I can't, I can't.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
All right, So those are some quick thoughts on the
last ten episodes of the podcast, and we're going to
take a break and come back and get have some
overall thoughts on the year twenty twenty four. For AFFIRS Listen,
We'll be right back. Welcome back to AFIRS Listen.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
I'm Andrew and I'm Diamond, and.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We're talking about our favorite moments, our favorite guests, favorite
albums from a Year in the Affres System Podcast Year
twenty twenty four. So let's open it up to the
first ten episodes and talk about what from this catalog
(18:42):
of records have we gone back to.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Oh, I have to put it out there. Superstar by
Usher is always in rotation, but I heard I Want
Your Love Chic Yes by Chic a few weeks ago randomly,
like I think somebody had borrowed my car and they
(19:05):
had like an older station Plan and I got in
the car and it was on and I was like,
oh my god.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
That made me feel really good.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
Beyonce Bodyguard is from her Cowboy Carter album is nominated
for a Grammy. So it sent me back to the
album and it made me think about it and, you know,
really assess what I liked and don't really like anymore.
Months later, I think we're over. Yeah, we're definitely over.
Six months removed from the release of the album. And
(19:41):
I hate to say this, but I think she actually
might win Album of the Year with Grannie this year, and.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
It sucks because this is her like, yeah, it's and
it's just not.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
It's not what Renaissance was, and like it's not and
I feel like it'll be our life and her luck
that she actually wins this year and it's like, Okay,
we're happy for you that you finally got this.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
But I don't think this is the album for it.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
I feel like it would be like a you know whatever,
you know, an album that if I was thinking we
would have done earlier. Because the Grammys are coming up.
Sabrina Carpenter shortened Sweet that is a really good pop
album and I would not be surprised if she's like
(20:30):
a top contender for Album of the Year because.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
That album is really good.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Really good. Hate to throw us off back to the list. Yes,
I'm trying to think, I already said earlier. Seven Nation
Armies still in rotation. I we don't talk enough or
as a society about Stevie wonder Uh Songsmiky of Life like.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
So shout out to one of the listeners who's messages
the other day, Carrie oh who who's all over the
effort listen and the I think the Elvis Duran Instagram
is a great listener. He pointed out to us a
little while ago. There's a Stevie Wonder podcast called The
(21:14):
Wonder of Stevie that was recently launched. The host is
a New York Times I think art and culture writer.
I listened to the first episode on the Plane on
a Plane a couple of weeks ago. Really really interesting,
basically tracing his whole career, you know, from when he
was a literal child, as we covered on that episode
ye to today. So shout out to Carrie for the
(21:38):
great recommendation. I will also recommend it, and sort of
the thesis of the podcast is kind of what you
just said, Like, we don't talk enough about what an
impact Stevie Wonder has made. I think we alluded to
it a little bit on that show where we talked
about how many samples from songs in the Key of
(22:02):
Life have been used to create like the biggest hip
hop songs and pop songs.
Speaker 3 (22:08):
Since Yeah, what's the Gangster's Paradise Pastime?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I can hear it?
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Was it Wild Wild West? Yes?
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Yes, so definitely. I mean I can't skip over Prince
per Borrian. I mean I know that I didn't really
get the album, but there are some gems on there
that I just would look crazy if I didn't mention keep.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
I keep meaning to go back to Prince and listen
to some of his other records. I don't think Purple
Rain will be the one I go back to.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
I'm sorry I shouldn't have laughed so hard. I'll tell
you one album that I'm not going back to.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah at all. I actually heard this album reference the
other day, which one Rocket to Russian. Yeah. I was
listening to the Fly on the Wall podcast, which is
David Spade and Dana Carvey and their guest was Patton Oswalt,
and Patton Oswalt compared a film to Rocket to Russia,
(23:13):
and I was like, oh, I wouldn't otherwise know what
he was talking about if we didn't cover it with
another great guest, Alison Camarada.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
She was amazing. I don't ever want to see that
album again. Ever. Another album that I never want to
see again, Norman fucking Rockwell.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Yeah, we are, We're pretty aligned on this. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Yeah, Lana please, girl.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Please another problematic lady, absolutely absolutely growing more problematic right
before our eyes.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Yeah, So girl, Wishing you the best but stay over there,
h Is there anything that I'm missing?
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Horrible guest?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
And yes he was the worst, the worst.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Guest, I mean on the scale of besta horrible, Andrew
was all the way at the bottom.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
What a losers?
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Am I missing anything? Is there anything that you are
really listening to? Let's say six months later from the
first half of the albums that we come up.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
So this is the time of year when the streaming
services do their little recaps of what you're listening to,
and so my top five albums were like it was
like four metal records and then say Chic and I was,
according to one service, the number one listener in the
(24:37):
world for what for the song happy Man, it was like,
You're the point zero one percent, And I'm like, I
know what that means because also all the other songs
on that if you look at the total streams are
like in the trillions, the billions or trillions, and that
song has like a million, like no one has ever
heard it. On this gigantic hit of an album.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
You literally paid Nala Rogers for the year. Probably that
is hilarious.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
And we we we stopped down and talked about it
a little bit with him on that episode, and I
guess even chic fans are not like familiar with that song.
And she has so many hits, I guess I can't
blame them, but I think it is a total hidden gem.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
I mean, it's a really good song, but I don't
know if I would be in the top one.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Awers a little alarming. I gotta say.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
I got to think, if there's any do you have
a favorite out of all these?
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Yeah, so let's let's open it up to the all
the episodes that we've done, not just focusing on the
first ten. And I I think for me to say
a favorite, it would have to be something that I
didn't suggest.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Okay, Oh, that's good.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
So it's a favorite, excluding anything that I would have brought. Yeah,
And I'm thinking that's probably it could easily have been
good Girl Gone Bad.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Okay, but I just can't get past the sound of
that record. You technically suggested songs in the Key of Life,
but I think I was too familiar with that record
already for me to pick that one. It's probably the
mis education of Lauren Hill.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Oh, such a good album, such a.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Good or maybe it's versus and I think the best
album is actually mis education of Lauren. I think, so
separating my favorite one from what is like in an
objective sense, if that's even possible in this type of ranking,
it probably is a mis education of Laurren Hill.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
I'm trying to figure out what, Okay, so I think
the best.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Album with special guest Alex Goldenthal, my friend and guitar player.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Hey, I think the best is a toss up for
me between Songs in the Key of Life and the
mis educational Blurn Hill.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Yeah, it's just it's complicated with Songs in the Key
of Life because it's basically three albums worth of music.
It's a lot, so it's it's hard to compare it
to anything.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
I'm trying to think of what my favorite out of
the ones that I didn't choose, I say, sashik nice. Yeah.
A lot of songs on there that are just good vibes,
not necessarily ones that I go back to all the time,
but if I'm sitting down somewhere and they're playing the album,
(27:54):
I'd be happy.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
And the thing that I appreciated so much about that
album after doing more of a dive into it and
listening listening to it, not as like a quote unquote
disco record or a quote unquote pop record, and really
like giving each song they're due is how conceptually deep
it is. When you really listen to it, it's it
(28:19):
doesn't come off like they're just trying to make a living.
It comes off as there's like little subtle things that
they do with the music and the lyrics that it's like,
this is a band that has a point of view. Yeah,
you know, this is a this is a real band.
This is not like a studio concoction.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
They care, yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
And then speaking to Nile Rogers about it, he confirmed
a lot of that stuff with Yeah, he was really nice.
He's not problematic at all. No, honestly, congratulations to Nile Rogers.
He's in his seventies and he's still on the right
side of history.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Yeah. Thank god. We need our icons to stay our
icons because people are scaring me.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
People drop life was.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
What about a favorite song of yours?
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I'm thinking Honky Cat. Oh okay, okay, go right back
to that. I wish by Stevie Wonder is another big one.
Miseducation of Larren Hill is an album that I haven't
gone back to for a while, and I have kind
of been meaning to go back to because I want
(29:33):
to kind of figure out what my what my favorite
really is from that record. I was kind of so
overwhelmed by how much good material is on there when
we did the episode that I do think that one
is ripe for me to go back to it. Here
comes to the son pretty good song.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
Oh okay. I have to be honest. When Dove's cry,
oh okay, that's it.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
I was I was about to say some other songs,
and I'm like, no, Like in a Sandman, I like it.
It's the best intro, But do I really care about
the rest of the song already? I think I said
this in the episode, like once it gets to a
certain point, I'm like, I'm over it. Let's start the
song over it, because I'm the momentum is we've reached
the mat.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Speaking of Purple Rain, I heard I Would Die for
You out there in My World, and I was like,
this song still annoys me with the hot, the drum machine,
high hat sound that just does not stop. You can't
take it for the entire sound. However, Baby I'm a
Star is still a hit.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
I don't like that one. Come on now, Okay, I
hate to say this. I'll go I'll come back to
this in a few months probably and be happy about it.
Right now, I cannot believe that I'm about to say
this out loud, but all I went for Christmas is
You is as well. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
I have to be honest. I may be sick of
it right now, but in the grand scheme of things,
(31:00):
that's probably that is the greatest Christmas song of all time. Okay,
so we're sick of it because we're in the Christmas season,
But once January comes, you know, I'm trying to think
if there's anything else that I mean, Superstar bar Usher
is just nostalgic and just like a vibe. I think
(31:21):
that Bodyguard by Beyonce is underrated. I think that that
was such a good song, so it could have been
a hit. I don't understand why it wasn't pushed.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Also, I would say caught Up by Usher, Oh yes,
great one.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
Whoa, whoa, I'm the kind of brother Oh yeah yeah yeah, Andrew,
come on, I think I mean good Girl gone bad. Yes,
Like the entire album Hate That I Love You is
such a good song, like, but nothing compares to.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Cry you know wow, that was Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Do you even realize what you just did? Nothing compares
to Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
No, I really don't think so.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
No, I'm talking about the song nothing Compares to You,
which Prince wrote.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Not up completely went over my head Oopsie's Yeah, I
feel like I'm gonna miss something.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
I mean, as is really good by Stevie Wonder, but
I don't think it's my favorite.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I'm trying to think of Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
I think yeah, songs in the Key of Life I
want to listen to, just like the final third of
the album. I think I might do that on my
way home, maybe because again, it's just so long, it's
so much, and it's hard to be in the same place,
in the same state of mind for like an hour
and a half of just listening to music. Yeah, so
(32:53):
it's like you almost have to break it up, like
when the record stops playing, don't don't just slip it
over right away, give it a do something else, come
back to it.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Maybe play something else, like play another album as a
way to clean or clear the palette and keep a pushing.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Yeah, I think that I think that those are mine.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
So people might be listening to the recap episode trying
to get a sense of what our show is all about.
Let's take another break and then come back and we'll
talk about our favorite episodes, maybe our favorite guests we
might want to have on the show again in the future.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
We'll do that next time at First Listen. Welcome back
to that first Listen. I'm Andrew and I'm Diamond, and
we are wrapping up the year twenty twenty four for
(33:57):
the podcast. What do we think was our best episode?
If we're gonna work, if we're going to recommend one
episode for someone to listen to, like, this is what
the show is about. This is when we did the
best job.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Oh, the best job? I'm not sure because I think
that's subjective. But for a few of these, I think
the best episode is probably a two parter with Ken Dashaw.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
I think that you learn a lot, you know, and
I think.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
That that's the purpose of having guests on When they
choose an album, they can not only tell us and
educate us on the album, but the artists or band
group that they suggest, and he came with a lot
of information.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Ken is as close to an expert on the Beatles
as you will find out there in the world. I
would say the Nile Rogers episode is a great starting point,
but we were also very nervous. For Yes, we were
trying to use new a new studio, we were trying
(35:12):
to use new equipment, much of which failed. Niall was amazing.
He was really generous with his time and with the
stories he told. Overall, it's probably not our best episode. Hmm. Yeah,
it's probably between well I made it. This is a
(35:33):
good sign. It's probably between the Abbey Road with Ken
dash Out and Pearl Jam versus with Chris Carino, because
both of them came really prepared just from I guess
living their lives and being the super fans of those
respective bands that they are. And Chris Karina was able
to tie Pearl Jam back to the nets.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Which was insane. I'm like, huh, how do we get
back here?
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Okay, Chris knew a lot. Explain to me, uh what
that whole stutterstep beat whatever it was was, And I
appreciate him for that.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
I'm trying to think.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
I I gotta give honorable mention to the worst guests
that we had on Andrew, not you, Andrew. I can
never pronounce his name, I just say Andrew Pugs, so
we'll keep it there.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
But he know he was such a bad guest, we
don't need to pronounce his name, even though it's pronounced.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Pl Yeah, he he.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Ruined the show.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
He tried to really convince him.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
He knew that we were both gonna hate it. He
thought I would like it, and boy was he wrong.
I hated it as much as you did.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
The worst thing I've ever heard in all life.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
That said he might be back for another episode because
we had a good time.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (37:02):
But yeah, April k was great.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
April was great. The album her you know, yeah, what
she was doing with that Fender campaign was super cool.
Maria Marino love kind of reconnecting with her. As as
we mentioned, she's an old basically a childhood friend of mine,
like we she no, I sat behind her and homeroom
(37:30):
uh for all four years of high school. Oh, I
didn't tell this story. We actually met for the first
time on the soccer pitch in middle school. She is
from Hamburg. I'm from a town called Ogdensburg in New Jersey,
and uh, they're both really small towns. So our soccer
(37:50):
teams was this direct. No, this was our middle school school.
Soccer teams were co ed, so it was certain amount
of boys on the field, a certain amount of girls.
And so this was a game in Hamburg. So on
their field in front of like all of their parents,
and I'm running towards the ball. Maria's on the other side,
(38:17):
and we do that thing where if you play soccer
and two people kick the ball at the same time,
it hurts always. It's completely legal play. It just happens.
So that happened with us, and Maria kind of went
tumbling over and she probably does not remember this, but
(38:39):
I remember it vividly because I was like the kind
of kid on the basketball team who would like not
commit fouls because I didn't want people to think I
was a dirty player. So then this happens on the
soccer field in front of all the Hamburg parents, and
people were mad at me. They thought that I just
like kicked her shit out from under her.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Oh no, Andrew.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
And it got a little bit heated.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
Did you help her up?
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Well, it was the play was still gone. Oh I'm
a sportsman, but I'm trying to win the game.
Speaker 2 (39:13):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
I think I had two goals by the way you
kicked the.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Girl down and kept it pushing. No wonder if you
wore upset.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
But we patched things up in high school.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Okay. Cool. I'm trying to think who else Andrew?
Speaker 1 (39:29):
Yeah, I mean it is it runs the gamut. I mean.
Alex Goldenthal had a personal experience with Lauren Hill from
teaching her guitar for about a year. Nile Rogers helped
make the album that he came to talk about. Alison
Camarada has a whole book, a memoir surrounding you know,
(39:50):
her experience with punk rock in New Jersey and New York.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
That was a great book, by the way.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Yeah, if you're looking for a great book for Christmas,
Combat Love really good Allison Camarata, I would say best
guess Maria Melito. Oh Marie. We had such a good
time with her again. She was one of the first
guests on the show. Yep, she got you to She
(40:15):
picked a good album for you. You liked led Zeppelin too,
I did, but.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I can't think of the songs that I like at
the moment, so I didn't mention it.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
Well, a lot of them are really jammy, you know.
That's that's more of a more of a vibe album,
so I can't blame you for that. There's Heartbreakers on it.
I think black Dog is on it, you know. Let
me just look up the tracks so I don't sound
like a total idiot. I think I covered this on
(40:45):
that episode though, because sort of like with the Beatles,
I got into led Zeppelin kind of as a catalog,
not a specific album. So I don't really know what
songs are on what album? Oh the Lemon song? You
love that one? One?
Speaker 3 (41:00):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (41:00):
I did?
Speaker 2 (41:02):
Which one did I hate? Did I say which one
I hated? It was someone at the bottom or something?
Was it slow or something?
Speaker 1 (41:07):
I don't know. Well, Moby Dick had the big drums.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Oh I hated that.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
I hated Love had the psychedelic section, which I think
you liked.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
I liked that one I did?
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Yeah, Oh, ramble on you didn't like?
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Are you sure I think I liked it? Oh?
Speaker 1 (41:20):
Okay, I hope you liked it.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
It's a blur, right, but so hey, if you're gonna
pick one, pick the Mariam Alito episode. She's a great personality.
She's very funny. I was very nervous about that episode
because I didn't think we picked the right album.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Oh no, I liked it.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
I liked it more than I did.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
I remember you guys being very shocked.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Okay, So I think that's that's a year in our
at First Listen Lives. We'll be back next year in
some form or fashion. I think we thank everyone for
listening and supporting the show. It's been a lot of fun.
It's been a lot of worker, but it's been a
lot of fun, and be appreciate it. See ya have
a good twenty twenty five. Everybody
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com